It's All for the Treasure
by Koorino Megumi
Summary: Spoilers for Beachhead. When Vala made the decision she did, what was her motive? Is she still the type of person who worries about herself more than anything, or has someone changed that?


**It's All for the Treasure  
By: Koorino Megumi**

_This drabble takes place directly after the events of the Season 9 episode Beachhead. It also includes spoilery references to all of Vala's previous appearances (Prometheus Unbound in Season 8 and all of the first six episodes of Season 9). It's a bit speculatory since here in Spain I haven't been able to see the second half of Season 9 yet, but I hope the fic is enjoyable anyway! Vala is a very fun character to work with._

* * *

I have _always_ loved danger.

Granted, someone living my life can't do anything but, really. But I'm not stupid. I've always balanced the risks needed for success and the...prudence needed to stay alive. Basically, I'll steal anything under the sun (as I'm sure you, dear reader, already know well), but I'll only do it when I have a clear escape. Or if I know I can offer enough "incentive" to get the poor sap I stole from off my back (Arlos and his bracelets being a good example). That's the best way to live life, really--maximum profit, lowest probability of death.

But then... Heh, _then_ I met up with the infernal "Stargate Club," and _everything_ got turned upside down.

To be more precise, the whole mess started when one Doctor Daniel Jackson decided to be his determined and crafty fool self and just would _not_ let me steal his ship and be done with it. Honestly, that man is nothing but infuriating.

...okay, so it was the most fun I'd had on a job in ages. But I'm still mad at him for messing it up at the end!

I'll be frank. I don't regret what happened on the Prometheus, and I (believe it or not) wasn't lying when I told Daniel that it brought back memories when I was aboard the ship for the second time. Though I also wasn't lying about the fact that most of those memories are of beating him up...and kissing him...and trying to seduce him... I must say, an experience like that is a treat to remember--in each and every little detail. Not that I'm happy about the (very few) hits he scored on me, but how fun would it have been if he hadn't fought back a little? It was the perfect heist! Except for, of course, the fact that I didn't make off with the ship or even the naquadah. But perhaps it was worth it that time...?

Oh no, I did _not_ say that out loud, nor would I. I will _never_ change for anyone. After all, love isn't a real force of any kind. It's like attraction--it can be faked just as easily as it can be real.

Okay, I know, you're about to open your mouth and remind me that Daniel _was_ just some idiot on a ship that I was going to play with (and perhaps have a little "fun" with, if you know what I mean), and look at everything that's happened since then. You think he's changed me; I know you do!

There are plenty of excuses I could give. But that's one thing I have an endless supply of, right? All right, I know, excuses are flimsy. And I _don't_ lie to myself (the rest of the galaxy maybe, but not myself). So I'll admit it--there _is_ an attraction between myself and Daniel. It's real. But as far as that "love" thing? Well, love isn't real anyway, so there's no reason to worry about it.

Now that you know that I'm attracted to him, I can just hear the wheels in your head turning. You think the bracelets were just a clever ploy to get what I want from Daniel, don't you? Well, that thought _did_ cross my mind. After all, he was infuriatingly stubborn about the whole matter while we were on the Prometheus. But getting him that way would have been almost...desperate. And I am _not_ desperate. Treasure was what I wanted then, the same as ever. Pleasure...well, if I'd _happened_ to get some on account of the bracelets, I wouldn't have complained.

But no, the bracelets just _had_ to wind up the cause of other, less-anticipated side effects. I _did_ enjoy my initial brief sojourn on Earth--though I'm still angry at that stingy colonel for the treasure that I _earned_ that he kept from me. And Daniel, for that matter! He did the same thing despite my, if I do say so myself, very skilled attempts to thwart him. The bastard.

Not to mention getting burned to death wasn't exactly my idea of a good time, but I have to admit, I haven't had excitement like all that in _ages_. But still, I'm not a person to stay in one place for long. (And I can just hear you reminding me that I _can't _stay anywhere for long. Yes, I'll admit that natives do tend to tire of me--or threaten me with death sentences--rather quickly after my arrival. But I _like_ moving around!). So, I was quite ready to leave Earth after removing the bracelets--aside from my typical lingering desire to snag a farewell gift of treasure.

But no, the bracelets and the power surge from that device just _had_ to make it impossible for us to be separated, and I couldn't very well have Daniel following me into _my_ typical dealings, so...

It was necessity--nothing else. I would never have been tagging along with the Stargate Club otherwise (not to mention they wouldn't have _let_ me). After all, I knew I wasn't getting any treasure out of this mission! And if you're wondering about what I did at the end, well...

I'm not one of those brash types who lose their temper at the drop of a pin--I'm _much_ too talented to have a weakness that dangerous. But, though it pains me to admit it, I _do_ get annoyed easily, especially at stupidity. And it was _clear_ stupidity when _every single member_ of the Stargate Club refused to listen to me, despite all the help I'd given them! And more than anything, it was outright _idiocy_ for a certain doctor who _should have known better _to treat me like that and ignore me!

I'm not saying that because of the attraction. I am _not_ bitter about how he treated me because of the attraction. ...well, maybe a _little_. But it was stupid in any case!

No one _forced_ me to do what I did--that much should be obvious, considering they weren't even paying an attention to me! But I _refuse_ to get blamed for playing the hero. Hero is _not_ my style. I tried that on P8X-412, and I'm not going to forget how those villagers reacted to my "bravely telling the truth" any time soon--nor how our little adventure there ended, I might add. No, what I did that day wasn't even really to "save" anyone. More than anything, I just wanted those idiots in the Stargate Club to figure out how wrong they were. (Okay, so maybe I was more than a _little _bitter...) But I promise you, the _last_ thing on my mind was to sacrifice myself! I was expecting to get out of there just fine. All that happened was a _tiny_ glitch in the last part of my plan. And then poof! I was galaxies away in the home base of the enemy.

And so I, Vala Mal Doran, talented enchantress and thief, fan of danger, attracted to one idiot Doctor Daniel Jackson, and hero of the Tau'ri and their entire galaxy rather accidentally found myself in a new situation _quite_ full of danger, _quite_ far away from the lovely doctor, and too far from any of the rest of the Tau'ri to protest any stupid heroic notions that any of them might have about me.

But I _am_ a fan of danger, and I have to admit, the whole hero belief could come to my advantage someday. There will be some definite repayment involved when I see the Stargate Club again--I'm already making a list! And that someday will be soon. Because I am Vala Mal Doran, and no matter how many galaxies I get sent across, and no matter how much trouble I get thrown into, I will _always_ find a way to meet my goals--and gain a little treasure while I'm at it.

And if the treasure I want most just happens to be light years away at the moment, well, I'll just have to find my way back to him, won't I?

Him? I meant _it_, of course.

But you know, I've never been one to leave a treasure of any kind behind.


End file.
